One Thousand Dollar - Water Bill

No.   Not Me.    But, My Neighbor .

(google image)

I know it is not the least bit funny but maybe this is the way my neighbor feels about it .  

About ten years ago my neighbors bought the property next door with the intent of remodeling the little house that was build in the mid 1800's .  The property is quite large and there are also some small out buildings .  They did a fantastic job of making the property a lovely improvement along with retaining the ambience of time gone by. It is their vacation retreat and they spend a lot of time here with their grandchildren and families . Their primary residence is about a three hour drive which makes their travels very manageable.  OK , you got it .  They are not always here . 

This little blip in their life all started when they received a phone call from the Water Company telling them that the dial on their water meter was Spinning .  Come to find out - the waterline  UNDER THEIR HOUSE had broken !!!  And, of course that started a lot of activity on many fronts to get their home back in order .  When the little house was remodeled they spared no activity and lovely hardwood floors were installed .

The only way the broken waterline could be repaired was to cut a large hole in the floor to get access !  But, there is usually "a little silver lining" if we look for it.  It so happens that the broken pipe was under the floor of the utility room (home of the washer/dryer) which has a tile floor and NOT a hardwood floor !

Because of the excessive amount of surface water which doesn't drain well with our clay/rock soil , it took days of the use of a large fan to aid in minimizing the water .  And, luckily we had some warm (not hot) but warm days that helped a lot .  The most significant issue  other than the water bill is the prevention of an environment for GROWTH OF MOLD !

Something like this can sure ruin a person's day ! 😧

And, the WATER BILL is yet to be determined ?  He wrote a letter and called .  But, no response as of yet.

A Little Update -  I am feeling a lot better, thank goodness . Some major events like updating my Estate Planning - - - fancy name for end of life documents, are now in order .   And, there are a lot of legal documents ! Far more than in the past by law. Even though I have had a Will and Living Trust for many years with several updates, dealing with attorneys and legalize became extremely difficult for me because of lack of family involvement and selection of available trustworthy people (when you have outlived your close friends) for Medical, Personal and Financial decisions . 

My To Do list still has more for me to do as soon as I can . But, the tasks are not as stressful or out of the ordinary of routine living.  For the most part they are tasks related to major house maintenance like roof and exterior painting .  Oh, and the ongoing "sorting and purging" deep house and garage cleaning !!!   I sure don't want to be feathered on the TV show, "Buried Alive" - do I ?

It is such a good feeling to be out of that "high stress feeling" that is so unhealthy and difficult to live with.  It sure challenges "Mind, Body, Spirit" living !

I hope you are enjoying your day.

Mary

Having A Great Day With Blue Sky

Today is the first day in a long time that the sky has had periods of blue sky with white billowy clouds .  The fires that have been contributing the most to the smoky skies are progressing to a higher percentage of containment which is wonderful .  However the temperatures are predicted to be higher again in the coming week to around 100 degrees .

I am still having to water the garden at least two times a day . But, I have been getting caught up on routine errands as well as the never ending task of paperwork that accompanies life and having a house .  Yesterday I  picked up a car trunk full of soil amendments and planting soil for the garden  .  I am hoping it will help with water retention for the dry cracking soil surface that has been visible everyday .  This is after watering the afternoon the day before .

 Delightful surprise in the garden when I saw the tomatoes turning red .

However, the figs have not shown any change (size or color) for weeks . Don't know what that is all about .

Yesterday when I took my household waste to the dump I saw the darkened burned hillside from one of the fires .  I was so surprised to see how close it burned to the disposal station - right up to the fence .  I didn't have my camera .  And, then I saw another area of burned hill side not far from the first site .  STARTLING !

This is what the hillsides and the whole area around here and throughout a lot of California looks like !  So much dry grass !   Cal-fire working to contain parameter of a fire .

My CAT scan is scheduled for August 22 but I have to have some blood drawn for lab work before that day  .

I have done a little more research on the Doctor and I learned something that I did not know in the past about the designation of M.D .   It does not only include what I have known in the past as a M.D, but now legally identifies Allopathics and Osteopathics trained individuals as a M.D.  I guess my knowledge base on the term of  D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) is a little archaic.  So anyway,  his background education is in the field of Osteopathic medicine .  Training in Italy and the US.  And, much to my surprise, his last eight years of medical practice has been in the field of Bariatric (weight loss) surgery .  Far different than what I expected after reading our local newspaper introduction of him as quoted by the hospital CEO saying that the doctor "specializes in breast surgery, wound care, colorectal surgery and advanced technology in hernia surgery" .  My research has resulted in finding a list of his area of expertise to be Cancer,  Obesity,  Gastric Bypass,  Stomach Stapling,  Laproscopic Surgery,  Hepatocellular Carcinoma,  Liver Removal,  Liver Transplantation,  Liver Cancer,  Weight Loss and  Surgery.  He is licensed to practice medicine in Alabama, New Mexico and Texas.  He comes to this area from a small rural community in New Mexico.   He has authored several books including  "Slim the Italian Way" (recipes),  "The business of Surgery",  "Professionalism and Ethics in a Surgical Practice"  and  "International Principles of Laparoscopic Surgery".  Strangely Interesting !

One of the many odd things he said to me at my medical appointment was that he could never be a doctor of Internal Medicine because he couldn't order a certain pill and have to wait a month to see if it worked.  He also was very emphatic in saying that he is a Scientist.  And, when he observed that I have a very small umbilical hernia (that I have had for years) he said he could do surgery on it for me.   When he filled out the requisition form for the CAT scan - under the area of symptoms he only wrote abdominal pain and umbilical hernia .  Not a mention of change in bowel habits, which I would think would be the most important symptom.  But then - what do I know ??  Just, a little SARCASM !    After receiving the results of the CAT scan I have NO intention of ever crossing the threshold of his office.  This certainly has been the most bizarre experience with trying to receive proper medical care.

Since I feel well and for the most part I am not suffering in any way. it would be easy to just forget about all of this  .  But, I know we should not ignore changes we experience or see in our bodies .  So, hopefully the CAT scan will not show anything and I can forget about all of this.  If not, I will find a way.

I hope your week is going well .  Take good care of yourself .

Mary

Taking Care Of Myself

My blogging is going to be less for a while.  I need to get to feeling better.  I'll be posting when I feel like I have something noteworthy to share with you.  You may think I have stopped blogging but I don't think that will happen.  And, if that is ever the case, I will certainly let you know by blogging.

I would like to share a recent photo of my Granddaughter and Fiance'.  Aren't they stunning?

I can't help myself.  I have to post this cute photo of these little ones again.

I sure hope to feel better by the holidays and maybe I can be with some family for holiday joy!

I hope you all enjoy the coming days and holiday activities of your choice.  And, be Safe and Happy.

Mary